Family Video pitches in for holiday effort

The staff at Leavenworth’s Family Video are hoping to make at least 20 holidays a little better for area families.

Comment

By Tim Linn

The Leavenworth Times - Leavenworth, KS

By Tim Linn

Posted Dec. 13, 2012 at 5:59 PM
Updated Dec 13, 2012 at 6:07 PM

By Tim Linn

Posted Dec. 13, 2012 at 5:59 PM
Updated Dec 13, 2012 at 6:07 PM

Leavenworth

The staff at Leavenworth’s Family Video are hoping to make at least 20 holidays a little better for area families.
On Saturday, the location here of the nationwide chain will take part in a companywide initiative to donate turkeys to area families in need.
Ashley Roller, the assistant manager at the store, said the distribution of turkeys is something Family Video here has done since the location opened in 2007.
This year, the Leavenworth location will donate about 20 turkeys to families in the community.
Across the country, approximately 775 Family Video locations will be doing the same thing, together expected to distribute about 30,000 turkeys and hams.
It’s a 40-year old tradition, according to information from the company. In the past, employees would have taken them to another agency, who would distribute the food to those families. But this year, Roller said the Leavenworth location is trying something different.
“This year they really just wanted to get a little more involved,” she said.
So during a holiday event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, they are asking visitors to donate food that will also be distributed alongside the turkeys.
“That way we’re not giving the family just a whole turkey and making them go buy the rest of it,” Roller said. “We’re going to actually give them a whole meal — they’ll have everything right
there, so they don’t have to worry about it.”
The store will have the turkey packages on hand for a couple of hours Saturday for those who wish to come in to the store, located on the southwest corner of 10th Avenue and Pennsylvania Street.
Any food packages that are not picked up will be handed over to the United Way of Leavenworth County for distribution. Though employees are likely to stay busy Saturday because of all the activity, Roller said she is thinking about the possibility of starting a new tradition for the food drive.
“If it goes well, it’s something that we’re hoping to continue doing,” she said.